JP6702648B2 - Assembly equipment pallet guide device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pallet guide device for an assembly device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pallet guide device of an assembling device such as a lens unit assembling device having a large number of assembling stations, which makes it possible to shorten the total length of the assembling device by circulating the pallet.

The lens unit assembling apparatus requires a large number of assembling stations because a large number of lenses and light-shielding plates are incorporated in the lens barrel. If the assembling stations are arranged in a straight line in order to divide the assembling process and shorten the cycle time, the overall length of the lens unit assembling apparatus becomes long (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). If the total length of the lens unit assembling apparatus becomes long, a factory having a space in which the lens unit assembling apparatus can be installed is limited, which is not preferable.

If the structure is used in which the lens barrel clamped to the assembly pallet is clamped to the assembly pallet and transported between the assembly stations to assemble the parts to the lens barrel, the lens barrel can be removed from the assembly pallet to the next assembly station. Eliminates the need for transfer work. As a result, it is easy to keep the positioning accuracy of the lens barrel at the assembly station constant, which makes it easy to assemble the lens and the light shielding plate to the lens barrel with good accuracy, which is preferable. However, if the total length of the lens unit assembling apparatus becomes long, the total length of the guide rails that guide the assembly pallet becomes long, and it is necessary to connect a plurality of guide rails in parallel and with high precision, which is often used for connecting the guide rails. Is required (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Further, if the total length of the lens unit assembling apparatus becomes long, the total length of the conveying apparatus that returns the assembly pallet, which has been assembled at the last assembly station, to the first assembly station becomes long. However, if the total length of the transport device that returns the assembly pallet becomes long, the time required to return the last assembly pallet to the first assembly station becomes long, and the cycle time required to assemble the lens unit becomes long. Occurs.

JP, 2006-198712, A JP, 2007-270896, A

The present invention has been made under the technical background as described above, and achieves the following objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a pallet guide device for an assembling apparatus having a large number of assembling stations, which facilitates positioning and carrying of the assembly pallet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pallet guide device for an assembling apparatus having a large number of assembling stations, which makes it possible to shorten the total length of the assembling apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a pallet guide device of an assembling apparatus having a large number of assembling stations, which is optimum for assembling a lens unit used in a mobile phone or the like.

The above problems can be solved by the following means.
That is, the pallet guide device assembly apparatus of the present invention 1,
A pallet guide device of an assembling apparatus having a carrying device for carrying an article to be assembled from an assembling position of a predetermined process to an assembling position of a next process,
The carrier is
A linear guide rail formed in a linear shape and having a rolling element raceway surface formed over the entire length in the axial direction for rolling the rolling element,
An infinite circulation path for circulating the rolling element is formed, the rolling element is held on the rolling element raceway surface, and the rolling element rolls on the rolling element raceway surface in a state where preload is applied. Slider to
An assembly jig that is mounted on the slider and holds the assembly target is mounted, and the assembly target is transported from the assembly position of the predetermined process to the assembly position of the next process along the guide rail. Assembly pallet for
A pallet transfer device for sequentially driving and transferring the assembly pallet from an assembly position of a predetermined process to an assembly position of the next process along the guide rail,
A positioning device for positioning the assembly pallet at a predetermined position on the guide rail at the assembly position of each step,
The guide rails (21, 22) have a first guide rail (21) and a second guide rail (22) arranged in parallel with each other,
The pallet transfer device sequentially transfers the assembly pallet (23) to the respective assembly positions along the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22), respectively.
The first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22) are formed at one axial end, and the first guide rail (21) is assembled into the second guide rail (22). A first pallet transfer device (3A) for transferring the pallet (23),
It is formed at the other axial ends of the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22), and is formed from the second guide rail (22) to the first guide rail (21). A second pallet transfer device (3B) for transferring the assembly pallet (23),
When the assembling pallet (23) is carried in and out from the first guide rail (21) to the second guide rail (22), it is formed in the first pallet transfer device (3A) and the first pallet transfer device (3A) is formed. The assembly pallet (23) is carried out from the first guide rail (21) while being aligned with the guide rail (21), and the assembly pallet (23) is removed from the second guide rail (22). A linear first transfer guide rail attached to a first table for loading into the second guide rail (22) aligned in line with each other;
When the assembling pallet (23) is carried in and out from the second guide rail (2 2 ) to the first guide rail (2 1 ), it is formed in the second pallet transfer device (3B), and The two guide rails (22) are aligned with each other to carry out the assembly pallet (23) from the second guide rail (22), and the assembly pallet (23) is moved to the first guide rail (22). 21) in a straight line, and a linear second transfer guide rail (335) attached to the second table (332) for loading into the first guide rail (21);
The first pallet transfer device (3A) is
A first pallet unloading device for unloading the assembly pallet (23) from the first guide rail (21) to the first transfer guide rail side;
A second pallet loading device for loading the assembly pallet (23) from the first table on which the assembly pallet (23) is mounted on the side of the second guide rail (22) from the first transfer guide rail;
Guided by a first base arranged between the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22) , the first table and the first table attached to the first table. A first pallet shift device for moving the first transfer guide rail to the second pallet loading device side ;
The second pallet transfer device (3B) is
A third pallet unloading device (31) for unloading the assembly pallet (23) from the second guide rail (22) to the second transfer guide rail (335) side;
Carrying in the assembly pallet (23) from the second table (332) having the assembly pallet (23) mounted on the first guide rail (21) side from the second transfer guide rail (335). 4 pallet loading device (32),
Is guided to the second base (331) disposed between the second said guide rail (22) of the first guide rail (21), said second table (332) and said second table ( 332) has a second pallet shift device (33) for moving the second transfer guide rail (335) to the fourth pallet loading device (32) side ,
The assembling positions of the respective steps are arranged at equal intervals along the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22), and the pallet conveying device simultaneously operates the assembling pallets of the respective steps. characterized by conveying the door (23).

A lens unit assembling method according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect , the assembling jig assembles the lens unit by incorporating a lens and a light shielding plate in a process order into a lens barrel forming the lens unit. To do.

A lens unit assembling method according to a third aspect of the present invention is the lens unit assembling method according to the second aspect , wherein the lens is inserted into the lens barrel on the assembly jig with a small pressing force, and the lens is inserted into the lens barrel. And a lens pushing device that pushes the lens into a predetermined position in the lens barrel by pushing the lens with a pushing force larger than the pushing force.

The pallet guide device of the assembling apparatus of the present invention can assemble the parts on the guide rail for conveying the assembling pallet without arranging a separate assembling station, and can realize a simple assembling apparatus. Further, in the pallet guide device of the assembling apparatus of the present invention, the linear first guide rail and the second guide rail having a plurality of assembling stations are formed in parallel to each other, and the first guide rail and the second guide rail are provided. The assembly pallet is circulated between the rails and moved, and the assembly pallet is used repeatedly. Therefore, the total length of the assembling apparatus is about half of that in the case where the assembling apparatus is arranged in a straight line as in the conventional case, and it becomes easy to secure a factory having a space where the assembling apparatus can be installed. Further, since the total length of the guide rails for guiding the assembly pallet is almost half, it is not necessary to connect a plurality of guide rails, the man-hours for connecting the guide rails are reduced, and it is easy to secure the accuracy of the guide rails. Become.

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view showing a lens unit assembling apparatus having a pallet guide apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the assembly station at the right end of the lens unit assembly apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing an assembly station adjacent to the left side of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the pallet transfer device at the right end of FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing lens unit assembling steps of the lens unit assembling apparatus having the pallet guide apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Lens unit assembly unit 1]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall plan view showing a lens unit assembling apparatus 1 having a pallet guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a lens unit assembling apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of 12 assembling stations from a first assembling station (1ST) to a twelfth assembling station (12ST). It is mounted on the base 11 (see FIGS. 4 to 6). Six assembly stations from the first assembly station (1ST) to the sixth assembly station (6ST) are formed at equal intervals from the lower right end to the lower left end in FIG. Six assembly stations from the seventh assembly station (7ST) to the twelfth assembly station (12ST) are formed at equal intervals from the upper left end to the right end in FIG. The twelve assembling stations from the first assembling station (1ST) to the twelfth assembling station (12ST) have the same basic structure but slightly different details.

As shown in FIG. 1, linear lower guide rails (first guide rails) 21 and upper guide rails (second guide rails) 22 are provided on both the lower side and the upper side of FIG. They are formed in parallel with each other from the right end to the left end. On the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, 14 rectangular plate-shaped assembly pallets 23 are arranged at equal intervals. The 14 assembly pallets 23 are guided by the lower guide rails 21 and the upper guide rails 22 and simultaneously move one pitch to sequentially convey the lens barrel from the assembly position of a predetermined process to the assembly position of the next process.

The lower assembly pallet 23 moves from the assembly position P1 at the right end of the lower guide rail 21 to the assembly position P14 at the left end by one pitch, and is positioned at each of 14 assembly positions. Similarly, the upper assembly pallet 23 moves from the assembly position P15 at the left end of the upper guide rail 22 to the assembly position P28 at the right end by one pitch and is positioned at 14 assembly positions. On the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, rolling element raceway surfaces (see FIGS. 8A and 8B) 221 are formed over the entire length in the axial direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1). There is. A slider 24 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B) is attached to the lower surface of the assembly pallet 23, and the slider 24 moves while being guided by the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22. An infinite circulation path (not shown) in which the rolling elements (balls or rollers) 241 circulate is formed in the slider 24.

When the slider 24 is guided and moved by the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, the rolling elements in the slider 24 roll along the rolling element raceways of the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, The slider 24 moves smoothly. A small preload is applied between the rolling element raceway surface and the rolling element. Therefore, the slider 24 is guided to the rolling element raceway surface without backlash, and the assembly pallet 23 is positioned at a predetermined position with high accuracy at all the assembly stations. Therefore, when assembling the parts, it is not necessary to fix the slider 24 to the rolling element raceway surface by the clamp mechanism. Also, no separate assembly station is required to assemble the parts on the guide rail. When the slider 24 is guided and moved by the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, the rolling element 241 of the slider 24 rolls along the rolling element raceway surfaces 221 of the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guiding rail 22, The slider 24 moves smoothly. A small pressure is applied between the rolling element raceway surface 221 and the rolling element 241. Therefore, the slider 24 is guided without rattling with respect to the rolling element raceway surface 221, and the assembly pallet 23 is positioned with high precision at all the assembly stations.

A pallet transfer device (first pallet transfer device) 3A for transferring the assembly pallet 23 from the lower guide rail 21 to the upper guide rail 22 is formed at the left end of the lens unit assembling apparatus 1. A pallet transfer device (second pallet transfer device) 3B for transferring the assembly pallet 23 from the upper guide rail 22 to the lower guide rail 21 is formed at the right end of the lens unit assembling device 1. Therefore, the assembling pallet 23 which has completed the assembling work at the six assembling stations from the first assembling station (1ST) to the sixth assembling station (6ST) is transferred from the lower guide rail 21 to the upper guide rail by the pallet transfer device 3A. Transferred to 22.

The assembly pallet 23 transferred to the upper guide rail 22 is assembled at six assembly stations from the seventh assembly station (7ST) to the twelfth assembly station (12ST), and at the twelfth assembly station (12ST). The assembly of the lens unit is completed. When the assembly of the lens unit is completed at the 12th assembly station (12ST), the completed lens unit is removed from the assembly palette 23. The assembly pallet 23 from which the completed lens unit is removed is transferred from the upper guide rail 22 to the lower guide rail 21 side by the pallet transfer device 3B, and the assembly work at the first assembly station (1ST) is restarted. That is, the assembly pallet 23 circulates clockwise between the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, moves, and is repeatedly used.

Since the pallet transfer devices 3A and 3B have the same structure, the detailed structure of the pallet transfer device (second pallet transfer device) 3B at the right end will be described, and the pallet transfer device (first pallet transfer device at the left end) will be described. ) Detailed description of 3A is omitted. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the assembly station at the right end of the lens unit assembly apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the pallet transfer apparatus 3B at the right end of FIG. 2, and FIG. 8A is D- of FIG. Sectional view D and FIG. 8B are sectional views taken along line EE of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the pallet transfer device 3B includes a pallet unloading device 31 arranged above the upper guide rail 22, a pallet carry-in device 32 arranged below the lower guide rail 21, The pallet shifting device 33 is formed to be long in the vertical direction of FIG. The pallet shift device 33 is arranged between the upper guide rail 22 and the lower guide rail 21.

The pallet shifter 33 is composed of a base 331 extending in the vertical direction of FIG. 2 and a table 332 guided by the base 331 to move in the vertical direction of FIG. The table 332 is driven by a servo motor 333, a ball screw 334, and a ball nut (not shown), and moves in the vertical direction of FIG. A transfer guide rail (second transfer guide rail) 335 is attached to the table 332 in parallel with the upper guide rail 22 and the lower guide rail 21. The cross-sectional shape of the transfer guide rail 335 is the same as that of the upper guide rail 22 and the lower guide rail 21, and the rolling element raceway surface is formed over the entire axial length. The transfer guide rail 335 is formed to be slightly longer than the length of the assembly pallet 23 in the left-right direction.

When the table 332 is positioned at the upper end position in FIG. 2, the upper guide rail 22 and the transfer guide rail 335 are aligned, and the assembly pallet 23 can be carried out from the upper guide rail 22 to the transfer guide rail 335 side. Becomes Further, when the table 332 is positioned at the lower end position in FIG. 2, the lower guide rail 21 and the transfer guide rail 335 are aligned, and the assembly pallet 23 is loaded from the transfer guide rail 335 to the lower guide rail 21 side. It becomes possible to do. The left-right gap between the upper guide rail 22 and the transfer guide rail 335 and the left-right gap between the lower guide rail 21 and the transfer guide rail 335 are set to be small to allow the slider 24 on the lower surface of the assembly pallet 23 to pass therethrough. The gap size is set to

The pallet carry-out device 31 and the pallet carry-in device 32 are respectively provided with bifurcated forks 311 and 321 which move in the left-right direction and the up-down direction in FIG. 2 by an air cylinder. When the table 332 is positioned at the upper end position in FIG. 2, the fork 311 moves downward to pinch the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P28 from the left and right, and the fork 311 moves right to move the upper guide rail. The assembly pallet 23 is carried out from 22 to the transfer guide rail 335 side. When the ball screw 334 is rotated by the servo motor 333 and the table 332 moves downward and is positioned at the lower end position in FIG. 2, the fork 321 holds the assembly pallet 23 from the left and right. The fork 321 moves to the left, carries the assembly pallet 23 from the transfer guide rail 335 to the lower guide rail 21 side, and positions the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P1.

Similarly, in the leftmost pallet transfer device (first pallet transfer device) 3A, the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P23 is moved from the lower guide rail 21 to the transfer guide rail (first transfer guide rail) side not shown. The assembly pallet 23 is carried out from the transfer guide rail to the upper guide rail 22 side, and the assembly pallet 23 is positioned at the assembly position P15.

[First and second assembly stations (1ST)]
The structure and assembling operation of the first assembling station (1ST) will be described. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the assembly station at the right end of the lens unit assembly apparatus of FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. The first assembly station (1ST) is an assembly station that supplies the lens barrel B (see FIG. 7A) to the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P2. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the first assembly station (1ST) includes a component tray supply/discharge device 4, a component insertion device 5, an image detection device 61, a pallet positioning device 62, and a pallet transport device 7. Has been done.

The component tray supply/discharge device 4 has a plurality of component trays 41 mounted on the upper surface of the component tray supply/discharge device 4, and a large number of lens barrels are housed in the component tray 41 at equal intervals. The component trays 41 containing the lens barrels are placed at the four tray placement positions T1, T2, T3, and T4 on the lower side. From the tray mounting positions T1, T2, T3, T4 at the lower four locations, the component trays 41 containing the lens barrel are supplied to the tray mounting positions T5, T6 at the upper two locations, and the empty component trays 41 are supplied. Are discharged to the two tray mounting positions T7 and T8 on the lower side.

The component insertion device 5 is an orthogonal three-axis coordinate type robot of X axis, Y axis, and Z axis, and has a rotation axis θ axis around the Z axis. That is, the component insertion device 5 includes an X-axis moving device 51, a Y-axis moving device 52, a Z-axis moving device 53, and a θ-axis rotating device 54. The Y-axis moving device 52 is arranged between the upper guide rail 22 and the lower guide rail 21. The Y-axis moving device 52 includes a Y-axis base 521 extending in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 and a Y-axis slide 522 guided by the Y-axis base 521 to move in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) in FIG. The Y-axis slide 522 is driven by a Y-axis servomotor 523, a Y-axis ball screw 524, and a ball nut (not shown).

The X-axis moving device 51 is fixed to the Y-axis slide 522 and extends in the vertical direction of FIG. 2, and an X-axis that moves in the vertical direction (X-axis direction) of FIG. 2 guided by the X-axis base 511. It is composed of a slide 512. The X-axis slide 512 is driven by an X-axis servomotor 513, an X-axis ball screw 514, and a ball nut (not shown).

The Z-axis moving device 53 is fixed to the X-axis slide 512 and extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of FIG. 4, and is guided by the Z-axis base 531 and the vertical direction of FIG. 4 (Z-axis direction). It is composed of a Z-axis slide 532 that moves to the. The Z-axis slide 532 is driven by a Z-axis servomotor 533, a Z-axis ball screw 534, and a ball nut (not shown).

The θ-axis rotation device is rotatably supported by the Z-axis slide 532 and includes a component insertion shaft 541 extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in FIG. 4. The component insertion shaft 541 is rotationally driven by the θ-axis servomotor 542. At the lower end of the component insertion shaft 541, a lens barrel suction head 543 for vacuum-sucking the lens barrel B and transporting it from the component tray 41 to the assembly pallet 23 is attached. The lens barrel suction head 543 is formed of black synthetic resin (PEEK).

Since the X-axis base 511 has a large amount of overhang from the Y-axis slide 522 in the X-axis direction, a support structure for suppressing bending and vibration of the X-axis base 511 is adopted. That is, two vertical columns 55, 55, 56, 56 are fixed to the outer sides of the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, respectively, and the upper ends of the columns 55, 55, 56, 56 have horizontal beams 571. , 572, 573, and 574 are connected. Guide rails 581 and 581 are attached to the upper surfaces of the beams 571 and 572 parallel to the lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22, respectively. The sliders 582 and 582 are guided by the guide rails 581 and 581 to move in the Y-axis direction. The lower ends of the vertical support plates 583 and 583, whose upper ends are attached to the sliders 582 and 582, are connected to the X-axis bases 511 and 511, and support the overhang portions of the X-axis bases 511 and 511. Therefore, bending and vibration of the X-axis base 511 are suppressed, and highly accurate positioning and high-speed operation of the component insertion device 5 are possible.

The lens barrel B taken out of the component tray 41 by the lens barrel suction head 543 detects the image of the lens barrel B by the image detection device 61 such as a CCD camera, and detects the phase of the lens barrel B in the rotation direction. After that, the component insertion shaft 541 is rotationally driven by the θ-axis servomotor 542 to position the lens barrel B in a predetermined phase in the rotational direction, and then the lens barrel B is carried into the assembly pallet 23. A clamp jig is placed on the assembly pallet 23, and the lens barrel B is fixed to the clamp jig 231 by a spring force. The lens barrel B is fixed to a jig on the pallet 23 by sandwiching it between two fixing plates that are constantly pressed by a spring force (not shown). When inserting and fixing the lens barrel B into the jig, the air cylinder is driven to release the pressing force of the spring. When the drive of the air cylinder is released, the jig fixes the lens barrel B. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the lens barrel B is fixed to the clamp jig 231 of the assembly pallet 23.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the pallet transfer device 7 is composed of a pallet engagement device 71 and a pallet pitch feed device 72. The pallet engaging device 71 is movable in the vertical direction of FIG. 5 by the air cylinder 711, and moves in the upward direction to engage the assembly pallet 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the pallet transfer device 7 is a mechanism for simultaneously sending a plurality of assembled pallets 23 to the next process at the same time, and is composed of a pallet engagement device 71 and a pallet pitch feed device 72. The pallet engaging device 71 is movable in the vertical direction of FIG. 5 by the air cylinder 711, and moves in the upward direction to engage the assembly pallet 23. The pallet positioning devices 62, 62 position the assembly pallet 23 at a predetermined position on the lower guide rail 21 together with the pallet engaging device 71 during assembly, and can be moved in the vertical direction of FIG. 5 by the air cylinder 621. It moves downward and separates from the assembly pallets 23, 23. A bearing 622 is provided at the tip of the piston rod of the air cylinder 621, and this bearing 622 is inserted into the notch of the assembly pallet 23 to position the assembly pallet 23.

At the upper end of the rod of the air cylinder 711 of the pallet engaging device 71, a cylindrical bearing 712 rotatably arranged is provided. When the air cylinder 711 moves upward, this bearing is inserted into or removed from a semicylindrical notch (having substantially the same diameter as the bearing 712) formed in the assembly pallet 23. The pallet engaging device 71 is capable of engaging and disengaging the assembly pallets 23, 23 for transportation, and positioning during assembly at the same time. When assembling the parts, the assembly pared 23 is only positioned by the operation of both the pallet positioning device 62 and the pallet engagement device 71, and the assembly pared 23 does not need to be clamped on the lower guide rail 21. The reason is that, as described above, the rolling element 241 of the slider 24 rolls along the rolling element raceway surface 221 of the lower guide rail 21 or the upper guide rail 22, and the slider 24 moves smoothly. This is because a small pressure is applied between the rolling element raceway surface 221 and the rolling element 241 (see FIG. 8).

The pallet pitch feed device 72 moves the pallet engagement devices 71, 71 by one pitch to the inner side in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 5 by the servo motor 721, the ball screw 722, and a ball nut (not shown). As a result, the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P1 is moved to the assembly position P2, and the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P2 is moved to the assembly position P3. At the same time, the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P3 is moved to the assembly position P4 at the second assembly station (2ST). The pallet positioning devices 62, 62 move upward in FIG. 5 by the air cylinders to engage the assembly pallets 23, 23 and position the assembly pallets 23, 23 at the assembly positions P2, P3. Therefore, at the assembly position P2 of the first assembly station (1ST), the assembly pallet 23 into which the lens barrel B has been loaded by the component insertion device 5 moves to the assembly position P3 for the next process. At the assembling position P3 of the first assembling station (1ST), the pushing operation of the lens barrel B is unnecessary, so the pushing operation is not performed.

The structure and assembling operation of the second assembling station (2ST) will be described. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a second assembly station (2ST) and a third assembly station (3ST) adjacent to each other on the left side of FIG. The second assembly station (2ST) inserts the lens L1 (see FIG. 7B) into the lens barrel B of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P4, and at the next assembly position P5 the lens L1 (see FIG. 7B) of the assembly pallet 23. 7(c) (see FIG. 7(c)). As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6, the second assembly station (2ST) includes a component tray supply/discharge device 4, a component insertion device 5, an image detection device 61, a pallet positioning device 62, and a pallet transport device. 7 and a lens pushing device 8. A major structural difference between the second assembling station (2ST) and the first assembling station (1ST) is that a lens pushing device 8 is added to the second assembling station (2ST). Therefore, in the following description, detailed description of the same parts as the first assembly station (1ST) will be omitted.

A large number of lenses L1 are housed in the component tray 41 of the component tray supply/discharge device 4 at equal intervals. The component insertion device 5 is an orthogonal three-axis coordinate type robot of X axis, Y axis, and Z axis, and has a rotation axis θ axis around the Z axis. The component insertion shaft 541 of the θ-axis rotation device is rotationally driven by the θ-axis servomotor 542. A lens suction head 544 is attached to the lower end of the component insertion shaft 541 to vacuum suction the lens L1 and convey the lens L1 from the component tray 41 to the assembly pallet 23. The lens suction head 544 is formed of black synthetic resin (PEEK) in order to detect the image of the lens L1 with high accuracy.

The lens L1 taken out from the component tray 41 by the lens suction head 544 detects the image of the lens L1 by the image detection device 61 such as a CCD camera, and detects the phase in the rotation direction of the lens L1. After that, the component insertion shaft 541 is rotationally driven by the θ-axis servomotor 542 to position the lens L1 in a predetermined phase in the rotation direction, and then the lens L1 is carried into the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P4, and the Z-axis servomotor 533 is used. The lens L1 is inserted into the lens barrel B with a small pressing force by controlling the torque. FIG. 7B shows a state in which the lens L1 is inserted into the lens barrel B with a small pressing force. The lens L1 is lightly placed at the entrance of the lens L1 mounting hole B1 of the lens barrel B. Since the lens L1 is inserted into the lens barrel B with a small pressing force, the lens suction head 544 made of synthetic resin is not crushed and deformed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem that the lens L1 is inclined and the assembly accuracy is deteriorated. ..

The pallet transfer device 7 is operated to move the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P3 to the assembly position P4, and the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P4 to the assembly position P5. At the same time, the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P5 is moved to the assembly position P6 at the third assembly station (3ST). Therefore, at the assembly position P4 of the second assembly station (2ST), the assembly pallet 23 in which the lens L1 is inserted into the lens barrel B by the component insertion device 5 moves to the assembly position P5 of the second assembly station (2ST). The lens pushing device 8 is arranged at the assembly position P5. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the lens pushing device 8 includes a rectangular flat plate-shaped base plate 81 horizontally mounted on the upper surface of the base 11, a vertical column 82 mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 81, and a vertical column 82. It is composed of a component pushing shaft 83 rotatably supported in a direction perpendicular to the surface and an air cylinder 84 moving the component pushing shaft 83 in the vertical direction. Although the lens pushing device 8 uses the air cylinder 84 in this example, a servo motor such as a stepping motor, an AC servo motor, or a DC servo motor may be used instead.

A lens pressing head 85 for pressing the lens L1 is attached to the lower end of the component pressing shaft 83. The lens pressing head 85 is made of a hard metal, and has its surface polished by polishing. By controlling the pressure of the air cylinder 84, the lens L1 of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P5 is pressed with a large pressing force, and the lens L1 is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the lens L1 mounting hole B1 of the lens barrel B. FIG. 7C shows a state in which the lens L1 is closely attached to the bottom surface of the lens L1 mounting hole B1 of the lens barrel B. Since the lens pressing head 85 that presses the lens L1 against the lens barrel B with a large pressing force does not need to adsorb the lens L1 and detect the image of the lens L1, a hard metal with a polished surface can be used. Therefore, even if the lens pressing head 85 is pressed at a high pressing speed and with a large pressing force, the lens pressing head 85 is not crushed and deformed, so that the assembly accuracy of the lens L1 is stabilized. In addition, since it is possible to increase the speed with which the lens L1 is pressed, it is possible to shorten the assembly time of the lens unit.

[Third to twelfth assembly station (1ST)]
The structure and the assembling operation of the third assembling station (3ST) will be described. The third assembly station (3ST) is an assembly station for inserting the light shielding plate S1 (see FIG. 7D) into the lens barrel B of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P6. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, the third assembling station (3ST) has exactly the same structure as the first assembling station (1ST), and has a component tray supply/discharge device 4, a component insertion device 5, and an image detection device. 61, a pallet positioning device 62, and a pallet transport device 7. Therefore, in the following description, detailed description of the same parts as the first assembly station (1ST) will be omitted.

A large number of light-shielding plates S1 are housed in the component tray 41 of the component tray supply/discharge device 4 at equal intervals. The component insertion device 5 is an orthogonal triaxial coordinate type robot of X axis, Y axis, and Z axis. Since the shape of the light shielding plate S1 is symmetrical in the rotation direction, the component insertion device 5 does not have the rotation axis θ around the Z axis. At the lower end of the component insertion shaft 545 (see FIG. 6), a light shielding plate suction head 546 that vacuum-sucks the light shielding plate S1 and conveys it from the component tray 41 to the assembly pallet 23 is attached. The light shielding plate suction head 546 is made of black synthetic resin (PEEK).

The shading plate S1 taken out from the component tray 41 by the shading plate suction head 546 is carried into the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P6, the torque of the Z-axis servomotor 533 is controlled, and the shading plate S1 is moved into the lens barrel B. Insert by pressing force. FIG. 7D shows a state in which the light blocking plate S1 is inserted into the lens barrel B with a small pressing force. The light-shielding plate S1 has a slightly smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of the lens barrel B, and is a loose fit. Therefore, at the assembling position P7 of the third assembling station (3ST), the pushing operation of the light shielding plate S1 is unnecessary, and thus the pushing operation is not performed.

Since the structure and the assembling operation of the fourth assembling station (4ST) to the twelfth assembling station (12ST) are the same as those of the above-mentioned second assembling station (2ST) to the third assembling station (3ST), only the essential points of the assembling operation are simplified. Explained. That is, the fourth assembly station (4ST) is an assembly station that inserts the lens L2 into the lens barrel B of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P8 and pushes the lens L2 of the assembly pallet 23 at the next assembly position P9. The fifth assembling station (5ST) is an assembling station in which the light shielding plate S2 is inserted into the lens barrel B of the assembling pallet 23 at the assembling position P10 and the assembling work is not performed at the assembling pallet 23 at the next assembling position P11.

The sixth assembly station (6ST) is an assembly station that inserts the lens L3 into the lens barrel B of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P12 and pushes the lens L3 of the assembly pallet 23 at the next assembly position P13. The assembly pallet 23 for which the assembly work at the sixth assembly station (6ST) has been completed is conveyed to the leftmost assembly position P14 by the pallet conveyor 7 and then guided downward by the pallet transfer device (first pallet transfer device) 3A. It is transferred from the rail 21 to the upper guide rail 22. The seventh assembling station (7ST) conveys the assembling pallet 23 to the assembling position P17 from the assembling position P15 at the left end of the pallet conveying device 7 through the assembling position P16. After that, the seventh assembling station (7ST) is an assembling station in which the light shielding plate S3 is inserted into the lens barrel B of the assembling pallet 23 at the assembling position P17 and the assembling work is not performed at the assembling pallet 23 at the next assembling position P18. is there.

The eighth assembly station (8ST) is an assembly station for inserting the lens L4 into the lens barrel B of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P19 and pushing in the lens L4 of the assembly pallet 23 at the next assembly position P20. The ninth assembling station (9ST) is an assembling station in which the light shielding plate S4 is inserted into the lens barrel B of the assembling pallet 23 at the assembling position P21 and the assembling work is not performed at the assembling pallet 23 at the next assembling position P22.

The tenth assembling station (10ST) is an assembling station for inserting the lens L5 into the lens barrel B of the assembling pallet 23 at the assembling position P23 and pushing the lens L5 of the assembling pallet 23 at the next assembling position P24. The eleventh assembling station (11ST) inserts the stopper ring SR sucked by the stopper ring suction head 547 (see FIG. 7E) into the lens barrel B of the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P25. The stopper ring SR is a component that prevents the lens and the light shielding plate assembled in the lens barrel B from coming out of the lens barrel B. In the assembly pallet 23 at the next assembly position P26, the height of the completed lens unit is detected. FIG. 7E shows a lens unit of a completed product in which all the parts are assembled to the lens barrel B. Illustrations showing the assembly steps between FIGS. 7D and 7E are omitted. The twelfth assembly station (12ST) removes the non-defective lens unit from the assembly pallet 23 at the assembly position P27, carries it out to the non-defective part tray 41 of the part tray supply/discharge device 4, and removes the defective lens unit. And an assembling station that carries out the defective product to the component tray 41.

After removing the lens unit completed at the twelfth assembling station (12ST) from the assembling pallet 23, the pallet conveying device 7 moves the assembling pallet 23 at the assembling position P27 to the assembling position P28, and then the pallet transfer device (second pallet). The transfer device 3B transfers the upper guide rail 22 to the lower guide rail 21 to restart the assembling work at the first assembling station (1ST), and returns to the first step of the assembling work. According to the lens unit assembling apparatus having the above-mentioned circulating pallet guide apparatus, the linear first guide rail and the second guide rail having the plurality of assembling stations are formed in parallel with each other, and The assembly pallet is cyclically moved to and from the second guide rail, and the assembly pallet is repeatedly used.

Therefore, the total length of the assembling apparatus is about half of that in the case where the assembling apparatus is arranged in a straight line as in the conventional case, and it becomes easy to secure a factory having a space where the assembling apparatus can be installed. Further, since the total length of the guide rails for guiding the assembly pallet is almost half, it is not necessary to connect a plurality of guide rails, the man-hours for connecting the guide rails are reduced, and it is easy to secure the accuracy of the guide rails. Become. Further, since the length of the first pallet transfer device and the second pallet transfer device that circulate the assembly pallet between the first guide rail and the second guide rail is short, the assembly pallet is circulated. It is possible to shorten the cycle time by shortening the time required for.

[Other Embodiments]
The lower guide rail 21 and the upper guide rail 22 described above were one. However, when the assembled product is large, the assembly pallet 23 becomes large, and thus the assembly pallet 23 may be composed of two parallel rails. Further, the pallet transfer device transfers the assembled pallet from the upper guide rail 22 to the lower guide rail 21 side or from the lower guide rail 21 side to the upper guide rail 22 side. However, this transfer may be performed by various robots such as a vertical articulated robot and a scalar robot. Further, the pallet transporting device for transporting the assembly pallets was one that simultaneously sends a plurality of assembly pallets at the same time like a transfer machine, but it is a so-called friflow type transporting device that randomly sends them. Is also good. In this case, a stopper mechanism for positioning the assembly pallet at a predetermined assembly position is required.

1... Lens unit assembling device 11... Base 21... Lower guide rail (first guide rail)
22... Upper guide rail (second guide rail)
221... Rolling element raceway surface 23... Assembly pallet 231... Clamp jig 24... Slider 241... Rolling element (ball or roller)
3A... Pallet transfer device (first pallet transfer device)
3B... Pallet transfer device (second pallet transfer device)
31... Pallet carry-out device 311... Fork 32... Pallet carry-in device 321... Fork 33... Pallet shift device 331... Base 332... Table 333... Servo motor 334... Ball screw 335... Transfer guide rail (second transfer guide rail)
4... Component tray supply/discharge device 41... Component tray 5... Component insertion device 51... X-axis moving device 511... X-axis base 512... X-axis slide 513... X-axis servo motor 514... X-axis ball screw 52... Y-axis moving device 521... Y-axis base 522... Y-axis slide 523... Y-axis servo motor 524... Y-axis ball screw 53... Z-axis moving device 531... Z-axis base 532... Z-axis slide 533... Z-axis servo motor 534... Z-axis ball screw 54... θ-axis rotation device 541... Component insertion shaft 542... θ-axis servomotor 543... Lens barrel suction head 544... Lens suction head 545... Component insertion shaft 546... Shading plate suction head 547... Stopper ring suction head 55, 56... Strut 571, 572, 573, 574... Beam 581... Guide rail 582... Slider 583... Support plate 61... Image detecting device 62... Pallet positioning device 7... Pallet conveying device 71... Pallet engaging device 72... Pallet pitch feeding device 721... Servo Motor 722... Ball screw 8... Lens pushing device 81... Base plate 82... Column 83... Component pushing shaft 84... Air cylinder 85... Lens pressing head B... Lens barrel B1... Lens L1 mounting holes L1, L2, L3, L4, L5... Lens S1, S2, S3, S4... Shading plate SR... Stopper ring

Claims (3)

A pallet guide device of an assembling apparatus having a carrying device for carrying an article to be assembled from an assembling position of a predetermined process to an assembling position of a next process,
The carrier is
A linear guide rail formed in a linear shape and having a rolling element raceway surface formed over the entire length in the axial direction for rolling the rolling element,
An infinite circulation path for circulating the rolling element is formed, the rolling element is held on the rolling element raceway surface, and the rolling element rolls on the rolling element raceway surface in a state where a preload is applied to the rolling element raceway surface. Slider to
An assembly jig that is mounted on the slider and holds the assembly target is mounted, and the assembly target is transported from the assembly position of the predetermined process to the assembly position of the next process along the guide rail. Assembly pallet for
A pallet transfer device for sequentially driving and transferring the assembly pallet from an assembly position of a predetermined process to an assembly position of the next process along the guide rail,
A positioning device for positioning the assembly pallet at a predetermined position on the guide rail at the assembly position of each step,
The guide rails (21, 22) have a first guide rail (21) and a second guide rail (22) arranged in parallel with each other,
The pallet transfer device sequentially transfers the assembly pallet (23) to the respective assembly positions along the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22), respectively.
The first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22) are formed at one axial end, and the first guide rail (21) is assembled into the second guide rail (22). A first pallet transfer device (3A) for transferring the pallet (23),
It is formed at the other axial ends of the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22), and is formed from the second guide rail (22) to the first guide rail (21). A second pallet transfer device (3B) for transferring the assembly pallet (23),
When the assembling pallet (23) is carried in and out from the first guide rail (21) to the second guide rail (22), it is formed in the first pallet transfer device (3A) and the first pallet transfer device (3A) is formed. The assembly pallet (23) is unloaded from the first guide rail (21) so as to be aligned with the guide rail (21), and the assembly pallet (23) is removed from the second guide rail (22). A linear first transfer guide rail mounted on a first table for loading into the second guide rail (22) aligned in line with the first guide rail;
When the assembling pallet (23) is carried in and out from the second guide rail (2 2 ) to the first guide rail (2 1 ), it is formed in the second pallet transfer device (3B), and The two guide rails (22) are aligned with each other to carry out the assembly pallet (23) from the second guide rail (22), and the assembly pallet (23) is moved to the first guide rail (22). 21) in a straight line, and a linear second transfer guide rail (335) attached to the second table (332) for loading into the first guide rail (21);
The first pallet transfer device (3A) is
A first pallet unloading device for unloading the assembly pallet (23) from the first guide rail (21) to the first transfer guide rail side;
A second pallet loading device for loading the assembly pallet (23) from the first table on which the assembly pallet (23) is mounted on the side of the second guide rail (22) from the first transfer guide rail;
Guided by a first base arranged between the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22) , the first table and the first table attached to the first table. A first pallet shift device for moving the first transfer guide rail to the second pallet loading device side ;
The second pallet transfer device (3B) is
A third pallet unloading device (31) for unloading the assembly pallet (23) from the second guide rail (22) to the second transfer guide rail (335) side;
A first loading of the assembly pallet (23) from the second table (332) having the assembly pallet (23) mounted on the first guide rail (21) side from the second transfer guide rail (335). 4 pallet loading device (32),
Is guided to the second base (331) disposed between the second said guide rail (22) of the first guide rail (21), said second table (332) and said second table ( 332) has a second pallet shift device (33) for moving the second transfer guide rail (335) to the fourth pallet loading device (32) side ,
The assembling positions of the respective steps are arranged at equal intervals along the first guide rail (21) and the second guide rail (22), and the pallet conveying device simultaneously operates the assembling pallets of the respective steps. A pallet guide device of an assembling device, which conveys a toe (23). The pallet guide device of the assembly apparatus according to claim 1,
The pallet guide device of the assembling apparatus, wherein the assembling jig is for assembling the lens unit by incorporating a lens and a light shielding plate in a process order into a lens barrel forming the lens unit. The pallet guide device of the assembly apparatus according to claim 2,
A lens insertion device for inserting the lens into the lens barrel on the assembly jig with a small pressing force,
A pallet for an assembling apparatus, comprising: a lens pushing device that pushes the lens inserted into the lens barrel with a pressing force larger than the pressing force to push the lens into a predetermined position in the lens barrel. Guidance device.

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